Thomas J. Nelson *68

Thomas Nelson, retired dean of engineering at the University of Portland, died May 6, 2014, at the age of 80.

Born Tamas Janos Neubauer in Hungary in 1934, he and his family survived Nazi persecution and came to the U.S. in 1947. In 1952, he entered the engineering program at MIT, and in 1957 he graduated with joint bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering.

Nelson then moved to New Jersey to work in computer research and development for RCA Laboratories. In 1968, he earned a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Princeton. That year, he became a faculty member at the University of Michigan.

In 1974, he joined the faculty at the University of Portland, and became dean of engineering in 1977. He remained dean for 19 years until he retired in 1996.

Nelson’s wife, Mary Baker, whom he married in 1957, predeceased him in 2002. He is survived by two sons.

Graduate memorials are prepared by the APGA.